Everton board update: Farhad Moshiri in long-term talks to remove Bill Kenwright as official statement called into doubt
Farhad Moshiri has been in talks to remove Bill Kenwright as chairman for “some time” according to Paul Brown, who doesn’t believe the Everton owner’s statement about keeping him in place.
The Toffees’ majority shareholder apparently spent days talking the increasingly unpopular long-term board member out of resigning along with the rest of the board on 12 June, apparently for his expertise in the transfer market, with the club statement on 23 June claiming Moshiri was “delighted” Kenwright had stayed.
But that suggestion has been thrown into doubt by Brown who claims that the chairman has been subject of negotiations to get rid of him for an extended period.
The former Daily Star journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “I still think we’re seeing the end days of Bill Kenwright at Everton. Whether it’s a mistake or not by Moshiri, to leave him on an interim board, is an interesting question.
“I don’t personally believe that the statement the club made about Moshiri being keen to have his expertise there during this transition period is completely true.
“Moshiri was in talks to end Kenwright’s time at Everton for quite some time.”
Why then?
The current interim arrangement seems far from ideal, but given how Denise Barrett-Baxendale and company had become targets for ongoing protests among the supporters it is at least a start towards the change the club appears to have long-needed.
Moshiri is thought to be in discussions with George Browning over a seat on the board, and the Evertonian has been mooted as a possible successor for Kenwright.
It is possible that it was simply a matter of staying on the right side of UK law in having at least one company director in place that meant the owner apparently leapt forward to stop the chairman from going.
As it is generally thought to be a temporary measure there will presumably be a new name in the role at some point, but with the MSP Sports Capital deal potentially taking most of the summer to be completed it may be a little while yet before the new-look board becomes clear.
There seems to be a certain amount of guesswork necessary with the machinations at Goodison Park currently, even when it comes to official club releases.
It was 11 days after Everton had set a 48-hour deadline for an update on Kenwright’s future on 12 June that the next news actually came, so Brown can perhaps be excused for doubting that statement when it arrived.
In other Everton news, two bids have already been received as clubs queue up to sign a first-team Toffees ace.